


Under Stars

by tyrantsandcreampuffs



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate History, Asgard, Jane needs a bigger hug, Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Lies and Deception, Loki Needs a Hug, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 04:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5319893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyrantsandcreampuffs/pseuds/tyrantsandcreampuffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In another timeline, Loki discovers his true parentage earlier and claims the throne of Jotunheim for himself. Now a King, Loki steals Jane Foster away from Midgard and turns her into his Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Birds

**Author's Note:**

> I've been away for a while due to university filling my days with exams and papers and other requirements, but I'm not gone! I'm still here, I swear!
> 
> I wanted to accomplish something for NaNoWriMo, so this is it. I rushed writing it so that I have something to present. So while it's not the best of my works, it's still something. It's inspired by Deathless, which I think everyone should read because it's one of the best fairytales out there. This is a story told in five parts, jumping forward a few years at a time in every chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

Admittedly, Jane wasn’t the most perceptive of the world outside her own laboratory. It was an all too common occurrence for her to lose herself in her calculations that she would forget that she had left something cooking in the kitchen or that she had ordered pizza and had failed to hear the countless buzzes of her doorbell. She had apologized to one too many people in her city due to her aloofness to everything else around her, but she couldn’t help but to be engrossed in her pursuit to find a concrete answer to the question she’s been asking ever since she was a child.

_What else is out there?_

After graduation, she had been comforted by the fact that there were other people who were interested enough to find out the answer as well and had generously funded her research; that she didn’t have to sell out to NASA like her old friends from Culver. She didn’t want to think about what else she’d be doing with her life if she didn’t have the means to do what she loved. While she may be at the fringes of the entire scientific community due to her chosen specialization, she didn’t mind being alone. All she needed was the stars, really, and she kept firm in her faith that she’d one day get her answers.

Another common occurrence was for Jane to fall asleep on the rooftop, pulling a too-thin blanket closer to her shivering frame, with her notebook and a few other notes scattered on the floor after they’d fallen from her grasp in her slumber. It happened almost every other night, when Jane was sure that it would neither rain nor be too cloudy for her to not see any stars. It was always the perfect way to end her night of tireless work.

This morning, Jane woke while the sun was rising. It was, as always, beautiful with its perpetual orange glow. A giant star that the planet depended on for purchase in its gravitational pull, for heat, for a focus in its orbit. It was a constant, always rising and setting; the one thing that could be depended on to be there every morning – except that morning, something had been off.

It was snowing in the middle of September.

That, and there were a group of black birds lined up in front of her, their gazes following her as she moved back when she had been caught unawares by their presence.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” she chanted beneath her breath, wisps of air escaping her lips from the cold. “That is creepy. Oh my God. Am I dreaming?”

But no matter how many times she blinked or pinched herself, the birds remained.

“Okay, so you guys are real,” she said, standing straight. Her limbs felt sore, but something about waking up to weather that shouldn’t be and to birds watching her every move kept her from thinking about it. It had been surreal so far and while she’d never hallucinated before, she wasn’t going to cross it off of her list just yet as she was admittedly exhausted. “Or not.”

Jane gathered her notes and went back down, muttering to herself about forming proper sleeping habits. She had taken one sip of reheated coffee when the doorbell rang. Grumbling, Jane quickly put on a romper and trudged to the door. She had yet to make herself look presentable, but she reasoned that anyone bothering her so early in the morning that wasn’t one of her benefactors most likely didn’t deserve her time of the day anyway.

It was with that mindset that she opened the door, ready to berate the person behind the incessant call so early in the morning, but instead she was, as with the birds, caught by surprise. It wasn’t every day that there was a suited man standing outside one’s door. There was no other way to describe him but _dark_. His attire, his hair, the aura he emitted – he could have fit in easily with the birds on Jane’s roof. And despite his pallor, the snow somehow made him stand out even more. The man and the birds had come on what was the most surreal morning of Jane’s life, and Jane stood dumbstruck at the doorway.

“Hello,” he greeted, his voice rich and smooth and hinting at what sounded like a constrained English accent. “Are you the girl who sleeps under the stars?”

While being called a _girl_ was a bit degrading, Jane knew that the stranger hadn’t meant to consider semantics. And what had he meant by _sleeps under the stars_?Had he seen her on the rooftop somehow? Still, she nodded rather dumbly in response because whatever words she had been formulating died out on her tongue when he bared his teeth in a grin, flaunting his handsome smile that fit his attractive, mysterious persona. Now Jane was sure she was dreaming because it shouldn’t snow in September and birds don’t flock on her rooftop and fine-looking men don’t come to her door so early in the morning – at all, actually. She was a fringe scientist, sure, but that didn’t mean she was _insane_.

“I guess,” she spluttered. What else was she supposed to say? “And you are?”

“I am Loki,” he introduced. Still, he had that ridiculous smile on his face that almost made him look like he was scheming. _Almost._ “And I am here to steal you away.”


	2. The Seduction

Some nights, she would stay atop the highest tower and look at the stars she’s become familiar with. It was those nights that she missed the Earth the most. She missed her old laboratory in the middle of New Mexico, her closest friends and family; everything. While her life ever since Loki had come to take her away was nothing less of a fairytale, Jane had to admit to herself that she wished she could go back.

But it was far too late now. She _loved_ Loki, she did. She loved him ever since he came up to her door and offered to bring her to the stars and beyond. Though it wasn’t the most orthodox way of getting the answers she had been searching for, it was still a solution nonetheless. While she had disappointed her benefactors with her incomplete research and most likely made her family and friends grieve for her presumed death, Jane didn’t feel guilty at all. Loki didn’t make her feel any remorse for leaving behind her old life.

 _Think only of me, Jane_ , he had said to her, entrancing her with his words. _Think nothing of them. Think of the stars. Think of us. I would make you my queen._

Loki had brought her to a realm far from Earth – or _Midgard_ , as he called it. He had taken her to his world, to Jotunheim, where it was always freezing and everything was made of ice. That explained how he wore the snow so well, but it hadn’t explained why she couldn’t feel anything but warmth at their arrival.

 _Magic_ , he answered, taking her hand and leading her into his abode. _This is the realm of magic, Jane. And so long as you are by my side, I will always provide for you. You will have everything you could ever want and more. I live for you now, Jane, don’t you see? I have seen no one else ever since I saw you beneath the canopy of your world’s constellations. There is no one else for me but you, the girl who sleeps under the stars._

And how could she resist such a proposal? How could she say no to his offer of liberation? Of the freedom to study the skies of his realms and the others he told her about as well? She may be away from the comforts of her old life, but Loki promised that she’d do well in her – _their_ new life together. She was clever enough to learn how to read the script of his people. She was wise enough to learn of the history of the frost giants, his people. And she was more than open enough to not be afraid of his true appearance.

She was welcomed and treated with the most respect. Despite being from another realm and not sharing their flesh, in the eyes of his people, she was a queen – _their_ queen. She stood beside Loki in ceremonies, wearing the most comfortable dresses made with silk from another realm and coats made of the fur of wild beasts which names she couldn’t pronounce properly. She was provided with the finest fruits and the most sumptuous delicacies. In every opportunity, Loki flaunted his status to her, how suited he was to give her everything – but she never wanted any of those. She had only ever wanted the stars.

So there she was, atop the highest tower, looking over the kingdom that was hers now and the perpetual darkness that enveloped Jotunheim that allowed for her to see the stars in all of their brilliance. It was so beautiful, but it was not _home._

“I had told you not to cry, hadn’t I, Jane?” Loki appeared behind her; his skin not the blue he put on in the presence of others. With her, he looked human, more vulnerable. “Why do you weep?”

“I just miss home, that’s all,” Jane answered him directly. She knew how much he hated lies and secrets – and they promised to one another that they would not keep anything from each other. Loki, she found, did not take lightly to those who kept secrets from him. It was hypocritical of him as he was known to be silver-tongued, a master of lies himself; but he swore to never lie to her. And besides, the honesty between them was refreshing. In a world of magic and deception, Jane liked that Loki was always straightforward with her and the least she could do was reciprocate. “I’d love to be able to visit sometimes, you know? Like, see how Eric’s doing or watch a movie with Darcy or something.”

“They all think you dead,” he answered with a frown marring his handsome face. “They cannot know of the worlds beyond them, Jane. That will only put your people in peril.”

“Yet here I am, and I’m in no danger at all.”

“Because I chose you. And you are under my protection.”

“Why?”

“You already know why.”

“Because I was the girl under the stars?” Jane couldn’t help but feel exasperation tug at her. He’d said the same thing over and over again, but she couldn’t accept that kind of answer from him. She was a scientist, she was trained to find reason behind data, and it just didn’t sound plausible that she was the only girl on earth sleeping without a roof that night. “I was no one, Loki. I was no one before you. I wasn’t acclaimed in my field, wasn’t considered particularly brilliant in my chosen studies. All I knew were the stars. And now you’ve expanded my mind with these new worlds and new skies and yet I feel like I know nothing. Nothing but that I must love you for it, for everything.”

“As you should,” Loki said in response, a cocky grin on his lips. His fingers dug into the flesh of her waist in a territorial motion. He brought his face closer to the junction of her neck and shoulder, his hot breath making goosebumps rise from her skin. “Love me, that is. And in turn, I will make a banquet of your body, Jane Foster. I will show my people that you are above them, that you are the holiness worthy of my worship. I am devoted to you and only you. Do you believe me?”

His lips were on her. His hands, his tongue; it was freezing, she knew, yet she could feel none of the cold. There was only fire on her skin, heat in her core. There were no stars, no houses where his people dwell, no ice of his castle; there was nothing else but Loki and him lavishing her with his affection, showing her the meaning of devotion. How could she believe otherwise?


	3. The War

It had been a few years since Loki took her away. She didn’t know exactly how many because they didn’t measure their time quite the same way in Jotunheim as they did back on Earth. And she couldn’t approximate because she herself hadn’t aged physically. As much as it frustrated her to not know _why_ , Jane had to submit to the fact of _magic_ because whenever she asked Loki, he’d never explain in scientific terms. That, and he’d just charm her about being both brilliant and beautiful.

Jane had spent years by his side – years never more than a day apart from Loki. He’d always bring her along when he had to take trips away to visit other realms. She’d met the queen of Vanaheim, the king of Alfheim, among others – and each of them had expressed their surprised that the king of the frost giants had taken on a mortal consort. To which Loki would only point out in her defense that she wasn’t mortal anymore. She never liked politics and always left Loki to his devices, to speak to the rulers for whatever business he was conducting. And they would only be there for at least days at a time, so Jane wanted to note the difference in the formation of stars in other worlds and not have to deal with having to act proper all the time.

Loki had kept his word that she would find herself accustomed to his world in no time. She was more than comfortable because Loki had given her everything he could give. The fine gifts aside, he was quite the romantic; bringing her to mountaintops where she could see the stars even closer. Her new life was good – better than what she could have ever dreamed of. She had believed that everything was fine, that the life she had settled into would stay that way.

But really, Jane should have known better.

“What do you mean you’re sending me back to Earth?” She was screeching. She was angry. She was not going to let him just do away with her without a fight of any sort. “If you’re going to war, then I should be by your side! I should be here in Utgard, with _you_! What good is a queen away from her kingdom in times of turbulence?”

“You never did care much for your duties as a monarch,” Loki spat, a bit distastefully. “Why start now?”

“Well, if I had known that you were planning to wage war on Asgard, then maybe I would have agreed to take up Diplomacy 101 for you! God, Loki, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking of my people.”

“No, you were thinking of yourself! Your people are already at peace, not like before—”

“Don’t you dare presume what Jotunheim was like before you arrived!”

The way Loki had snapped at her was frightening. He hadn’t shifted his form, but still he felt like he was twice as tall as her. Not that she would cower before him because she hardly feared him, but Jane knew better than others when Loki was at the verge of violence – that will never be directed at her, but he’d end up breaking a few things if this fight went on.

“No matter how many books you read, you will not understand the struggle of my people under the tyranny of those Asgardians. This war must be fought, Jane,” he mended, his voice much softer as he took a step to close the distance between them and placed the back of his hand on Jane’s cheek. “I had sworn to protect you, Jane. What would I do if I lost you?”

“Find a new queen?” she shrugged.

“I would never be able to replace you,” he answered, planting a kiss on her forehead. “So you _will_ go to Midgard, Jane. For your safety and for my peace of mind. _Please_.”

“Alright,” she conceded. Loki never said _please_ and he did nothing to hide his urgency. “But where will I go? It’s been years. I would be listed as dead by now.”

“You’ll be home,” Loki said. “With your mother, your family.”

“ _You_ are my home,” Jane said. “And she would have been the first to be notified about my disappearance. She probably planned my funeral and everything. I can’t just come back and act like I was never gone.”

Loki smiled, though it was melancholic. “You wouldn’t be pretending.”

His comment caught her off guard. “What?”

“It will be as though you never left Midgard in the first place,” he continued. “There will be nothing to suggest that you were gone all these years. That small space in the laboratory would still be under your name, all your possessions would still be in it; everything would be as it was on the day I took you away.”

“But-but then _I_ would know,” Jane countered, stuttering and pulling away from his touch. “How do you expect me to just act the same way as I was before I had seen the birds, before you arrived in the snow? Before I saw the skies of Vanaheim or the meadows of Alfheim? Before I became the queen of winter? I have worn nothing but the cold on my skin for years. I have abandoned my belief in science and embraced magic for _you_. How do you expect me to go back to being _nothing_?”

“You were never nothing, Jane,” Loki shushed her, pushing her back into his arms. “You have always been destined for something greater than that desert city of yours.”

“And what would you know of my destiny?”

“I know that we will meet again. That much I can assure you, Jane.”

Despite her tears, she gave him a small smile. “You will come back for me?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he placed his lips on her forehead once more and planted a lingering kiss. “Forgive me, Jane.”


	4. The Brother

When Jane woke up, her head was throbbing. It was like the hangover from the one and only party she ever went to in her entire university stay – but it was nothing that she couldn’t handle. She got her bearings and soon she was standing, but she didn’t recognize where she was. She saw dark concrete walls that looked like they hadn’t been cared for in years, dust gathering on the surface. Her first guess was that she was in an abandoned building – but why was she there?

She looked to her feet and saw the device she had assembled herself. _Right_. She was on a date with a guy her mother had set her up with when Darcy interrupted to inform her about some readings appearing on her old devices, and then… something. She wasn’t sure what had happened between the time they arrived and the _now_ , but all she knew was that she had to get out.

“Jane!” Darcy ran over to her. “Where the hell were you?”

“Tell me you didn’t call the police?” Jane all but screamed at the younger intern. “We had a gravitational anomaly! We had unimpeded access! Our only competition was ten years old—”

“You were gone for five hours!”

“What?” Now Jane was sure nothing was adding up. Where had she gone? What had happened? “What…” Jane realized that it was raining _around_ them. She looked around and saw that everything in their vicinity was wet except her and Darcy, and that there was a muscular man standing a few meters away. “Who is that?”

The man began walking towards them and the closer he got, the more ridiculous he appeared. _What was he wearing?_

“Jane Foster?” he called out, the timbre of his voice resonating off the buildings around them. “Are you Jane Foster?”

Jane pulled Darcy to her and took a step back. Still, the rain didn’t touch them. “Darcy, run to the police.”

“I have my Taser—”

“I don’t care! Just go. Whoever he is, he has business with me. I’ll be right behind you,” Jane assured. When Darcy went away – and got wet in the rain – Jane faced the man again. Up close, she saw that he was blond and could pass off as good-looking in a rugged sort of way. And the fact that he bared his muscles obviously did him favors, but Jane was trying to be cautious. Why did the man know her? “The police is right there, mister. Take a step closer and I’m calling them.”

While he looked confused, that somehow did the trick. The man stopped in his tracks and kept his distance from Jane.

“Now,” Jane continued, feeling dread pooling in her stomach. “Who are you and what do you want from me?”

“My name is Thor,” the man answered. “I’m here to help you.”

“Help me? Help me how?”

“Your friend told you that you were missing for five hours. In that five hours, you were gone from this realm and returned with something else, ancient power that shouldn’t allow you to be living right now. Within you is what is called the Aether, and it will kill you, Jane, unless you come with me now and let me help you.”

Without batting an eye, Jane told him, “You’re _insane_.”

“You don’t believe me?” The man – Thor – frowned. “Has he never told you of me? Has he not mentioned me at all? Not once?”

“Has who?” Jane didn’t know why she was even entertaining the man anymore when he was obviously delusional. “Listen, I don’t know from what costume party you came from or if you’re high on the same stuff the people from here are on, but my friends and I are getting arrested I don’t have time for you—”

“Loki!” Thor bellowed. “You are Jane Foster, are you not? The woman from Midgard that Loki claimed to be his bride?”

“You’re crazy!” Jane shrieked, stepping away from the man. As she turned around, he lunged to reach for her arm, and when she turned around to push him away, a force from within her pulsed out. The bulky man fell to the concrete with a thud, and when Jane looked back to check on her friend, the younger woman had fallen as well. “Oh my God. Did I do that? What did I do?”

Thor groaned as he regained his bearings, shaking his head. “Jane Foster, you’re just as stubborn as he. No wonder he took you as his wife.”

“What the hell are you going on about?” Jane wrapped her arms around herself, afraid of what other damage she could impose. She wanted to go run to Darcy, to help her up, but she didn’t want to hurt her any more than she already has. “Never mind that! Can you help me?”

“You are my sister,” Thor said, taking a cautious step towards her. When he reached for her arm this time around, she had not reacted. “And while my brother and I may be at odds with one another, you are still family. Both of you.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question,” Jane groaned. “How are you going to help me?”

“By bringing you to people who know how to deal with the power inside you,” Thor answered with a reassuring smile. He really was handsome, she would give him that, but he had mentioned something about them being _family_? And that she was someone’s _wife_? Jane couldn’t believe that she was putting her life in the hands of a stranger whose claims weren’t adding up to her memories, but it wasn’t like she had any other choice at the moment. The policeman with Darcy had seen what she had done. She was more afraid of what she knew for sure was going to happen should she hand herself over to the authorities as opposed to the unknown with Thor. “Hold on, Jane.”

She did as he instructed and wrapped her arms around him – which was a struggle as he was _huge_. Not a moment later, she felt herself drifting. It was a familiar sensation, as though she had gone through the same motions before, but at the same time it had felt entirely new. Jane couldn’t describe the exhilaration she was feeling at their speed, and she almost couldn’t comprehend that they were _flying_ through _space_. It was defying everything she knew possible of the restricting physics of her world and it was basically a dream come true how the stars were flashing before her eyes.

It ended faster than she had wished. Thor released her and she stepped on foreign ground. Sturdy metal met her feet and when she looked up she found herself in a golden observatory of sorts.

“We have to do that again!” Jane said with the most idiotic smile she could muster. Thor looked just as pleased, and she felt embarrassed at their proximity and reluctantly pulled away. Immediately, she felt the warmth of his skin dissipate from their loss of contact; like a breeze of cold settled in her bones as soon as he let her go. She turned to inspect their environment even further, but faltered when she saw that they were not alone in the room. Jane squeaked, “Hi.”

The dark-skinned man gave her a small grin. “Welcome to Asgard.”


	5. The End

“When they took the Aether out of me, all my memories came back,” Jane started, evening out her breath. “And I was so angry. With you, especially. I had thought that we both agreed not to keep secrets from one another, and yet you…” She stopped because she had begun shaking again. Wiping the tears starting to pool at the side of her eyes, she started anew. “Thor told me everything. How Odin took you in and raised you here in Asgard as one of his sons. How you and Thor grew up together as brothers. How you found out about your real parenthood and how you betrayed your real father, took the Casket for yourself and put yourself on the throne in Jotunheim.”

She kept her eyes steady on Loki’s sitting figure, waiting for a reaction, waiting for _something_ – but nothing. He still kept on a nonchalant façade with his blue eyes betraying nothing. _Loki lies_. She should have known that she wasn’t going to be an exception. It felt like hours until his lips twitched upwards into the most insufferable smirk he could have given.

“And you would believe his version of events over mine, _dear wife_?” he said, seemingly on the verge of bursting into laughter. “After all that we had been through? Really, I thought I had chosen better—”

“That’s another thing!” Jane burst, her rage barely being kept inside. She stood from the seat they had provided for her and stalked up to the clear boundary between her and Loki, the shimmering gold of the All-Father’s protection spells reflecting slightly. She wanted to hit something, to bang on the wall, but that would only hurt her more. So she kept her shaking fists by her side, trying to keep her poise and composure. “You _never_ chose me, Loki! You _lied_ to me from the beginning! I saw Frigga’s tapestries! You knew – you _always knew_ that I was the one who was going to find the Aether!”

“And so what if I knew?”

“You…” She couldn’t control her shaking, the tears freely flowing over her face. “You were only going to use me to win your war. I was just another pawn in your endless games. You never loved me, Loki.”

“If I told you I did? That I do?”

“You lie.”

“You wound me, Jane,” Loki said in turn. “Do you really so think little of me? I have never lied to you, my Queen—”

“I am not _yours_ —”

“And you call _me_ the liar!” He lashed out, pounding the wall with his fist. Loki winced in pain from the contact with the blocking spell, gold flecks flashing as the magic pushed him back in place. “We had sworn ourselves to one another, Jane. We are bound by magic that the neither of us escape from. You are mine just as I am yours, _wife_.”

His words rang in Jane’s head. The fact that she was entrapped in a union that was based on lies – but then he had just claimed to have never lied to her; but a lie by omission is still a lie by itself, so he _had_. Still, despite how her heart was throbbing with the pain of their current circumstance, she wanted to believe so badly that his betrayal wasn’t true. She herself wanted to believe in whatever he had to say to defend himself, to save what was left of their relationship – if they had one at all.

 _Loki lies_ , Thor warned her before he let her in to the cell they kept the fallen King of Jotunheim. The war was over and those from the realm of the frost giants were pushed back into their own world; Loki had willingly surrendered on the condition that it was his brother to escort him to wherever they were going to keep him. _I know how you feel, Jane. I myself have yet to recover from his betrayal. I will not begrudge you for wishing to see the best in him, but be cautious in your dealings nonetheless._

Jane shook her head. She had to clear her thoughts, to think straight, to not let her judgement be clouded by her feelings. “You lied to me from the beginning. You made me believe you loved me, Loki, and then you betrayed me. You took me away from your side. You took away _my memories_. You are _cruel_.”

She was expecting him to frown at the word, to correct her, to remind her of how well he had treated her when they were together. How graciously he had provided for her, for he lovingly paid attention to her and catered to every need of her body. She was expecting him to be angry and tell her that he wasn’t what she thought of him, but he had answered differently.

“Why, I _am_ cruel, Jane,” he started, licking his lips. Jane traced the motion with her eyes, but snapped her head back to see him fully grinning, as though he had won the war himself. “You had known this from the beginning. Only monsters steal away girls from their homes to claim them as their wives. I stole you away from your previous life, from your family and friends, from the science you loved so dearly in your heart. I was selfish to fill you only with myself and my magic. I was also your king, and you had seen me deliver the harshest punishment to my own people – some of whom you knew were innocent. Yet you stood by me and never accused me of cruelty because you had understood the logic of my decisions. Because _you_ are cruel as well, Jane. You are my wife, my queen, my mate, my _equal_. Believe what you want, but I _chose_ you for the reason that I knew you could learn to fill your heart with the cold from my world.”

“I am _not_ ,” Jane barked. “I am nothing like you!”

“Oh, so you had come here to see your husband off to his trial?” For a second, Jane thought Loki was _crying_ , what with the way the light had gleamed off his eyes. “You _are_ cruel, Jane, and you are here to ask me of something and I will _not_ give it to you.”

Jane stepped back. _How had he known…?_

“Did you honestly think that I am confined by these walls? By the All-Father’s magic?” Loki’s expression became more manic, more desperate, and Jane felt her heart break all over again, along with his. “You accuse me of betraying you, yet you remain a hypocrite and continue to lie to my face about your own deception! If I wasn’t your husband, I’d be impressed.”

Despite the hurt tugging at her, she kept firm in her determination to not falter in his presence. To take to heart Thor’s warning and not let herself be bothered by his words. Jane was hurting inside, but still, she gave him a small smile.

“I loved you, Loki. I did.”

“And I, you, the girl who sleeps under the stars.”

As soon as she left his cell, she fell on her knees and wept for the man she had once thought to be her everything, the man who had stolen her away and took her to the stars. She wept, knowing that they had not granted him a trial and he would be executed tomorrow. She would be there at the very front, alongside Thor, watching as the All-Father carried out his once-son’s death sentence.

They would mourn. After enough time, she and Thor would be free to wed. He would not force her into a union she was not ready to enter. He understood that she needed more time to truly move on from the lies and distrust from her experience with his brother. He promised he would wait for her.

Still, Jane worried that the day she’d agree to be wholly with Thor would never come, for even with his death, she could never be free of Loki. 


End file.
